The Hawkeye State, with two Division I football teams, has sent its share of tough players to the NFL. Hall of Famers, safety Paul Krause and defensive back Emlen Tunnel both played at Iowa. Other Hawkeyes to make NFL rosters include tight end Jonathan Hayes and lineman John Alt. Among the Cyclones to play in the NFL are Seahawks quarterback Seneca Wallace and defensive tackle Mike Stensrud. Longtime 49ers running back Roger Craig is from Davenport, and Cowboys defensive lineman Chad Hennings is from Elberon.

Iowa has the edge in a state split between two of the biggest football conferences in the country. Forest Evashevski coached the Hawkeyes to two Rose Bowl victories from 1956-1958 and led them to three Big Ten titles. Hayden Fry led the team to three Big Ten titles and 143 wins from 1979-98. Iowa halfback Nile Kinnick won 1939 Heisman. Iowa State had the inaugural Big XII player of the year in Troy Davis, who ran for more than 2,000 yards in 1995 and 1996. Johnny Majors coached Cyclones before Pitt and Tennessee. He was followed on the sidelines by Earle Bruce.

Iowa high school football fan Kyle Adema: Having lived in both Iowa and Nebraska it is pretty laughable that Nebraska is ranked ahead of Iowa in the rankings. As a whole, high school football in Iowa is far and away better. There are only a handful of decent teams in Nebraska ... Read more from Kyle